The No. 6 seed UC Santa Barbara Women’s Water Polo team (16-13, 2-5 Big West) gave hosts and No. 3 seed UC Irvine (15-12, 5-2 Big West) everything the Anteaters could handle in Friday’s Big West Championship Quarterfinal, but the Gauchos’ late rally came up just a goal shy of sending things to overtime as Santa Barbara fell, 12-11. 

Christina Mullane recorded a hat-trick, while Juju Amaral tallied five assists and Ava Donleavy made 14 saves.

“We came in with a strong gameplan, we were really excited about our after-goal defense that we ran, and it worked pretty well for a good amount of the game,” UCSB interim head coach Emma Myall said. “In general, I’m so proud of the season this year. It was a very unexpected season for us, and the girls went through a lot of hardship and difficult times of change, and they started adjusting really well to me and to my staff, and we all realized we had each other’s backs and we wanted to win.”
 
“Our culture, that was the one thing I really wanted to focus on when I first came in as interim (head coach). I brought the girls together and we talked about love, and we talked about confidence and loyalty and accountability, and those things led us through the season. The number one of those was love, right? With love you have respect, you have all the things, and the celebration, the goals, the blocks, everything we’re doing, that’s all out of love for each other, and we’re a family at the end of the day.”

The Gauchos were all over the Anteaters early, with Mullane drawing and converting a penalty shot on Santa Barbara’s first possession. Amaral added her first of two goals on the day to double the Gauchos’ advantage to 2-0 inside two minutes.

Irvine responded and tied the game before the second quarter, but Bella Mady scored the first goal of the second to put Santa Barbara back on top.
 
The second quarter went back and forth, with Irvine next to score, then Amaral putting the Gauchos ahead again. The Anteaters answered, but again Santa Barbara re-took the lead, this time through Imani Clemons. The Gauchos held that lead, a 5-4 edge, at halftime.
 
Irvine took their first lead of the day with the first two goals of the third quarter, but Santa Barbara again grabbed their lead back with goals from Mullane and Molly Souza, going up, 7-6.

After another Anteater goal tied things, Annie Kuester gave the Gauchos the lead yet again, 8-7, heading into the fourth quarter.
 
For the first time all day, Irvine took a two-goal lead in the fourth, going in front by three, 11-8, with four and a half minutes left to play.

Mullane’s third goal of the day reduced the arrears to two, then Isabel Valaika scored less than 20 seconds later to bring Santa Barbara back into the game, with the score 11-10.

Irvine’s final goal of the day came just inside the three-minute mark, and Kuester kept the comeback dream alive with her second goal of the day, with a minute and 45 seconds left.

The Gauchos got a chance to tie the game in the final ticks of the clock, but could not convert.

HONOLULU – Led by freshman setter Moni Nikolov, top-ranked Long Beach State cruised to a 3-0 [25-18, 25-23, 25-17] sweep of No. 10 UC San Diego in The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2025 Outrigger Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship on Friday night at SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center.

With the win, the Beach (27-2) advances to the Big West Championship match which will take place on Saturday, April 26 at 10 p.m. (PT) / 7 p.m. (HT). LBSU will play the winner of the No. 3 Hawaii/No. 4 UC Irvine match.

UC San Diego, which was a No. 4 seed in the tournament, concludes its season with an 18-11 overall record.

Nikolov was excellent as he served up four aces in the match to bring his career total to 90, which is a new Big West single-season record. With 90 career aces, Nikolov is just 10 shy of the NCAA single-season record which was set in 2011 by Curtis Abraham at Emmanuel. With Nikolov leading the way, Long Beach State finished the night with six aces as the squad now has 213 aces on the year, which is a new program record.

There it is! Ace #88 for Moni Nikolov! A new Big West single-season ace record gives Long Beach State a 19-18 lead over UCSD #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/xpPBg4uave

— Long Beach State Men’s VB (@LBSUMVB) April 26, 2025

In addition to his hot serving, Nikolov paced the Beach to a .400 hitting percentage after distributing 35 assists. He helped the team out on both sides of the ball knocking down four kills on an .800 clip (4-0-5), while adding five digs and one block assist.

Freshman outside hitter Alex Kandev was on point as he led the team with 14 kills on a .600 attack percentage (14-2-20). He also was the team leader in digs with eight, while adding two blocks and two assists.

Adding to LBSU’s offensive attack were Nato Dickinson and Skyler Varga who posted eight and seven, kills respectively.

Junior middle blocker Ben Braun had a solid night in which he posted five blocks, five kills, and a .571 attack percentage (5-1-7).

Long Beach State took a quick 2-0 lead to start the match, thanks to back-to-back kills from Dickinson. From there, the Beach controlled the set, never trailing, as they hit .520 to UCSD’s .214. Three-consecutive kills from Kandev gave LBSU a 7-3 edge, before an ace from Dickinson made it a 15-11 game at the media timeout. The Beach sent the game to set point after tallying four-straight points (24-17), before taking the first set, 25-18.

The Beach started the second set much like the first, with an early 2-0 lead as Braun opened the frame with a kill and Nikolov served up ace No. 87 to tie the conference record. However, the Tritons would not go away quietly. The conference foes battled each other through 11 ties and four lead changes over the next several points. With the game tied at 18-all, Nikolov served ace No. 88 to set a new Big West record and put LBSU on top, 19-18. After three more ties, a Kandev kill put Long Beach State ahead for good (23-22), before he knocked down another kill to give LBSU the 25-23 win.

A kill from Alex Kandev wins the second set, 25-23, for LBSU #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/7cIqEC0VOQ

— Long Beach State Men’s VB (@LBSUMVB) April 26, 2025

The third set began close as the two teams traded points early on. However, a kill from Varga broke a 7-7 tie. The Beach got back-to-back aces from Nikolov as he brought his career total to 90 while give Long Beach State a 13-9 edge. With LBSU in control, the top-seeded Beach finished the set and match on a 6-1 run as they cruised to a 25-17 win to complete the sweep and advance to the championship match.

SWEEPING THEIR WAY TO THE FINALS?????? @LBSUMVB advances to the championship game!#?????????????????????? x #NCAAMVB pic.twitter.com/VLI6A8vu42

— The Big West (@BigWestSports) April 26, 2025

The third set began close as the two teams traded points early on. However, a kill from Varga broke a 7-7 tie. The Beach got back-to-back aces from Nikolov as he brought his career total to 90 while give Long Beach State a 13-9 edge. With LBSU in control, the top-seeded Beach finished the set and match on a 6-1 run as they cruised to a 25-17 win to complete the sweep and advance to the championship match.

UC San Diego hit .253, with 33 kills on 31 assists. The Tritons had three players in Sebastian ­Lara, Josh Schellinger, and Peter Selcho score seven kills. Schellinger also added three blocks and a pair of digs. Setter Bryce Dvorak concluded the match with 29 assists and three digs.

?? See the postgame press conference with @LBSUMVB Head Coach Alan Knipe, and players Skyler Varga and Moni Nikolov #GoBeach #LBNation #LBGRIT #ExpectGreatness https://t.co/ZEDunDWJOe

— Long Beach State Men’s VB (@LBSUMVB) April 26, 2025

LOS ANGELES – No. 6 seed Arizona State (17-9, 1-5 MPSF) fell to the No. 3 seed Stanford (20-1, 5-1 MPSF) at Spieker Aquatics Center this afternoon, 3-24. The Sun Devils will face No. 7 seed Indiana in the matchup at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. 

Millie Quin (2) and Ani Pamp were the only two Sun Devils able to find the back of the net in the game. Three Sun Devils were able to pick up assists on their goals, Ashley Ferguson, Leila Meraz, and Itziar Almeda helped set up the shots. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Stanford opened scoring in the first round of the MPSF Tournament but Millie Quin was able to match their moves and net one of her own at 6:45. Quin was able to score one more time before the quarter ended to enter the second down 2-7. Ani Pamp was able to stop the Cardinal’s six goal scoring run with 1:01 remaining in the second quarter to enter the half, 3-14. The Sun Devils were unable to capitalize on any scoring opportunities in the second half, falling to the Cardinal 3-24. 

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Saturday, April 26

Game 4— No. 7 seed Indiana vs. No. 6 seed Arizona State—11:00 am 

Game 5—No. 1 seed UCLA vs. Game 3 Winner (Semifinal)—12:45 pm

Game 6— No. 2 seed USC vs. No. 3 seed Stanford(Semifinal)—2:30 pm

 

Sunday, April 27

Game 7—Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner (5th-Place)—11:00 am

Game 8—Game 5 Loser vs. Game 6 Loser (3rd-Place)—12:45 pm

Game 9–Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner (Championship)—2:30 pm

2025 MPSF TOURNAMENT

The 2025 MPSF Women’s Water Polo Championship Tournament will be hosted by UCLA at Spieker Aquatics Center, April 25-27. UCLA is the defending MPSF and NCAA Champion. The MPSF has captured 28 national championships in women’s water polo. 

HOW TO FOLLOW

Follow Sun Devil Water Polo on Twitter/X @sundevilwp, Instagram @sundevilwaterpolo and Facebook all-season long during the 2025 season for coverage of the team. Matches are broadcast on Overnght and live stats are available on 6-8 Sports.

 

Harrisburg volleyball freshman Josalyn Samuels was named to the USA Volleyball 2025 U.S. Girls U19 National Team.

Samuels was one of 19 athletes selected to train together from June 1-7 in the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado in preparation for the NORCECA U19 Pan American Cup. Twelve athletes from the group will then be chosen to represent the United States at the Pan American Cup, and those athletes will participate in a second training block from June 20-22 in Chicago, Illinois.

Samuels is a rare talent who has already achieved remarkable success as a freshman setter for Harrisburg. She was the first player pulled up from middle school to play varsity at Harrisburg, stepping in as the starting setter for the Tigers during their last two undefeated seasons, which culminated in back-to-back state championships.

She recorded 79 kills, 56 aces, 134 digs, and 870 assists in her freshman season, was named 2024 MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year, and is already recognized as one of the top players in the nation.

More: Meet Josalyn Samuels: the first 8th grader to play for Harrisburg volleyball in program history

The Pan American Cup will take place from June 24–29 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

“For these athletes, it will be the first time they have the honor of wearing the red, white and blue in competition,” head coach Jamie Morrison said via a press release. “It’s an honor to be the person chosen to lead them in such a special moment. These training blocks are about development and learning to play the game at an international level. I can’t wait to see what this experience and this coaching staff can pull out of each athlete.”

The U.S. Girls U19 National Team won gold at the Pan Am Cup in both 2022 and 2023 and won gold last year at the NORCECA Continental Championship. This year, the team will be in a pool with Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

The full list of athletes selected to participate is below:

2025 U.S. Girls U19 National Team for the NORCECA Pan American Cup

• Taimane Ainu’u (S, 5-11, 2009, Kapolei, Hawaii, Iolani HS, Aloha)
• Nejari Crooks (OPP, 6-1, 2009, High Point, N.C., Wesleyan Christian Academy, Carolina)
• Cala Haffner (L, 5-8, 2009, Fort Wayne, Ind., Carroll HS, Hoosier)
• Taylor Harrington (MB, 6-3, 2009, Arlington, Va., Wakefield HS, Chesapeake)
• Olivia Henry (OH, 6-5, 2009, Bayside, N.Y., IMG Academy, Florida)
• Megan Hodges (MB/OPP, 6-5, 2009, Ladera Ranch, Calif., San Juan Hills HS, Southern California)
• Marissa Jones (S, 6-2, 2009, Atlanta, Ga., Woodward Academy, Southern)
• Kari Knotts (OH, 6-3, 2010, Marietta, Ga., Hightower Trail MS, Southern)
• Pulelehua Laikona (L, 5-8, 2009, Gilbert, Ariz., Mesa HS, Arizona)
• Leilani Lamar (OH, 6-2, 2009, Tampa, Fla., Tampa Preparatory School, Florida)
• Westley Matavao (OH, 6-0, 2009, Ontario, Calif., Mater Dei HS, Southern California)
• McKenna McIntosh (OH, 6-1, 2009, Stockton, Calif., St. Mary’s HS, Northern California)
• Shayla Rautenberg (MB, 6-3, 2009, Pleasant Dale, Neb., Milford HS, Great Plains)
• Ireland Real (OH, 6-4, 2009, San Clemente, Calif., Santa Margarita Catholic HS, Southern California)
• Josalyn Samuels (S, 6-1, 2009, Harrisburg, S.D., Harrisburg HS, Great Plains)
• Marlee Steiner (MB, 6-4, 2009, St. Louis, Mo., Lindbergh HS, Gateway)
• Caroline Ward (OPP, 6-0, 2009, Lizton, Ind., Tri-West Hendricks HS, Hoosier)
• Kyla Williams (MB, 6-4, 2009, Cleveland, Ohio, Gilmour Academy, Ohio Valley)
• Shaye Witherspoon (OH, 6-3, 2009, Wildwood, Mo., Lafayette HS, Gateway)

HONOLULU — The University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team battled past UC Irvine and gave head coach Charlie Wade a record-breaking victory with a four-set win in the semifinals of the OUTRIGGER Big West Championship on Friday at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
 
UH freshman Adrien Roure put away a season-high 18 kills to lead the second-seeded Rainbow Warriors to the 25-21, 15-25, 25-21, 25-23 win in UH’s third victory over the Anteaters this season.
 
UH’s win set up a showdown with top-seeded Long Beach State for the Big West title on Saturday at 7 p.m. UH (25-5) and Long Beach State (27-2) split their regular-season series on April 11 and 12 before two sellout crowds at SimpliFi Arena. The Beach won the first meeting in four sets and the Warriors claimed the rematch in five. UH and LBSU will meet in the final for the fourth time since the Big West Championship was established in 2018.
 
UH earned a spot in the final by avenging a semifinal loss to the Anteaters (21-7) in last year’s Big West Championship and Wade picked up his 317^th win to become the program’s all-time leader in head coaching victories. He passed the record held by Mike Wilton since 2009 and enters Saturday’s match with a career record of 317-129 in 16 seasons.
 

Alone at the top

Congratulations Coach Wade #WarriorBall25 x #GoBows pic.twitter.com/AfYNFOk7pl

— Hawai’i Men’s Volleyball (@HawaiiMensVB) April 26, 2025

 
Roure posted his highest kill total of the season while hitting .441 with just three errors in 34 attempts and helped close out the win with eight kills on 11 attacks in the fourth set. Fellow freshman Finn Kearney added 10 kills in 25 swings and had two of UH’s eight aces.
 
Middle blocker Kurt Nusterer continued his late-season surge with six kills on 11 swings and was in on seven blocks. Louis Sakanoko set a career high with seven blocks, surpassing the previous best of six in UH’s meeting with UCI on March 2.
 
Setter Tread Rosenthal distributed 40 assists for a UH offense that hit .306 and also had two aces and seven digs.
 
The Warriors held off a UC Irvine attack led by Nolan Flexen’s 15 kills on .333 hitting and Hilir Henno’s six aces.
 
Both teams got off to an erratic start offensively and three early blocks helped the Warriors move ahead. Roure landed an ace just inside the endline to give UH a 15-13 lead midway through the opening set. Kai Taylor and Kearney fired aces in a 4-1 UH run that prompted a UC Irvine timeout with the Warriors up 19-15. UCI closed to 20-19 on back-to-back aces, but UH reclaimed control with a 3-0 run and Nusterer’s third block gave the Warriors set point. Kearney then closed out the set with kill off a touch.
 

Sealed. Set two. pic.twitter.com/HtiOW5YHoP

— Hawai’i Men’s Volleyball (@HawaiiMensVB) April 26, 2025

 
Rosenthal opened the second set with back-to-back aces, but UC Irvine went on a six-point run to take control and took a set against UH for the first time in three meetings this season. The Warriors thrilled the crowd with a rally highlighted by a save off Rosenthal’s foot that set up a kill from Roure. But UC Irvine continued to pull away and hit .538 in the set with 14 kills without an error to even the match.
 
UH took a 16-10 lead in the third set on a block by Justin Todd followed by Taylor’s second ace. UCI went on a 5-0 run to cut the lead to one and caught the Warriors at 19-19 on a Henno ace. Rosenthal put down a kill then forced an overpass from the service line to set up a kill by Nusterer. The Warriors traded sideouts and a diving save by Nusterer set up a kill by Kearney to give UH set point. Kearney finished off another rally to close out the set.
 

One more! pic.twitter.com/ofZsBSYgYS

— Hawai’i Men’s Volleyball (@HawaiiMensVB) April 26, 2025

 
Sakanoko broke a 12-12 tie in the fourth set with a kill and a block in a 4-0 UH run. UH led 18-14 when Rosenthal sent back a block on Henno’s swing before UCI answered again with Henno’s sixth ace closing the gap to 20-18. UH continued to fend off the Anteaters and Roure’s 18^th kill gave UH match point at 24-22. A UCI service error ended the match and sent the Warriors into the final.

Hawai’i wins in 4, 25-21 15-25 25-21 25-23, over UC Irvine.#𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗕𝗼𝗹𝗱 x #NCAAMVB#HawaiiMVB pic.twitter.com/IgIEc81XUP

— Spectrum Sports HI (@specsportshi) April 26, 2025

In Friday’s first semifinal, No. 1 seed Long Beach State swept UC San Diego 25-18, 25-23, 25-17. The Beach hit .400 as team in advancing to the championship match for the fifth time in seven years.

 

#HawaiIMVB